


Wolf's Blood

by Northern_Lady



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Falling In Love, Fluff, Grief/Mourning, Knights - Freeform, Love, OOC Blackfish, Poisoning, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-04-04 02:57:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4123284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Northern_Lady/pseuds/Northern_Lady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sansa asked the Hound to stay after the Battle of Blackwater and he did. She still married Tyrion but finds herself drawn to Sandor. </p><p>Not everything in this story will be happy, but there will be a happy ending.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story will only be three chapters long and is nearly finished already. Some of the timelines are a little skewed. Please be kind with your comments :)

It was only a fortnight after her wedding to Tyrion had taken place when Sansa finally saw him again. She hardly ever saw the Hound anymore since the Battle of Blackwater. She didn’t know why she had asked him not to leave and she didn’t know why he had stayed. She was glad he had even though she did hardly see him anymore. Joffrey had been angry with him after he’d left the battle and had barely used him as a guard anymore. But on this day as she was entering the godswood he was there, speaking to Loras Tyrell. At one time she would have been aflutter to see Loras but today she found that she wasn’t. She only wanted Loras to go away so that she could speak to the Hound. She went to the heart tree and pretended to pray. After a time she heard the voices nearby go silent and she was afraid that both of them had left. Then she heard footsteps. 

“Little bird is still talking to the trees are you?” The Hound said, he was right next to her. 

She stood. “No, I wasn’t really praying.” She almost added a Ser but remembered not to at the last moment. 

“Then why come here?” 

“I like it here. It’s quiet and no one bothers me.” She said truthfully. 

“Except for old dogs.” He said as if moving to leave. 

“No.” She said more firmly than she had intended. “I am a wolf. I like dogs just fine.” 

His eyes widened at that and she hoped with all her might that she wasn’t blushing. She didn’t know where the boldness to make such a comment had even come from. 

“If that’s the case, what would a wolf even do with a dog?” He asked her. 

She didn’t have an answer for that and he laughed. 

“I don’t know Ser. You tell me.” She finally said. 

“What has gotten into you little bird? Has being married changed you so much that you’ll come to the godswood alone looking for a man to flirt with?” He said, still laughing. 

“I wasn’t…” She began to protest and then stopped as a blush crept onto her cheeks and she realized he was mostly right. She hadn’t come looking for him but she had been glad to see him and she had all but been flirting with him. She hadn’t even known she felt that way about him until that very moment. Did he know it or was he just teasing her? 

“You were. And you shouldn’t be out here alone in this state.” He said more seriously. 

“In what state?” She said but he had already grabbed her arm and was pulling her out of the godswood. 

“I’m taking you back to your rooms.” 

“Wait, slow down!” She said as she stumbled a little. He stopped and allowed her to right herself and take his arm properly. 

They reached the hallway outside of Tyrion’s bedchamber and she reached for the doorknob then stopped. 

“Why did you stay?” She asked him gently. “After the battle?” 

He was silent for a moment. “Because you asked me to, little bird. Why did you do that?” 

She swallowed. “I had hoped I would see more of you.” She admitted, her cheeks growing red with the admission. 

He shook his head with disbelief. “Why would you hope for that? I was in your bed with a knife. Don’t you know what I might have done?” 

“But you didn’t. You didn’t hurt me. You never hurt me. Everyone else does…” She said, tears springing to her eyes. 

“Do you pray in the godswood every day?” He asked her. 

She nodded. “After the morning meal, yes.” 

“You’ll see more of me then.” He told her and left her then. 

********************************

It was difficult for Sansa to focus at breakfast the the next morning. Tyrion noticed that she seemed out of sorts but he said nothing about it. When she arrived at the godswood, he was already there laying flat on the ground with his arms behind his head. So she went straight over to him and sat down on the ground next to him, closer than she should have dared. 

“Good morning little bird.” He said, sounding almost sleepy. 

“Good morning.” She said with a shy smile. He was being very polite for him and she noticed it. 

“What do you expect we’re going to do here anyway? Pray? Pick flowers? What?” 

She hadn’t really thought about that. All she had been able to think about for weeks was how much she had missed his presence guarding her and how much she had wanted to be near him. She realized now that it hadn’t been just about safety. She wanted him on top of her again like that night in her bed. She had thought he would kiss her and now she wished he had. And she wished that he would take her maidenhead and be done with it so that no one could ever try to sell her off again. 

“What?” He said again, noticing the strange look she was giving him. 

“You could kiss me.” She said it almost as if it were a joke. She had seen enough maids flirting around the red keep that she had some idea of how it worked. 

“That’s not funny.” He said. 

“Why, because I’m married or because you don’t want to?” She plunged on. 

He sat up so that he could be face to face with her. “Seven hells girl, what are you trying to do?” 

“Why did you come to my bed if that wasn’t what you wanted?” She asked him, slightly insulted at his reaction. 

“It was. It is. Are you telling me that it’s what you want?” 

She nodded. “Yes, I think so...I know I want to be near you...I thought you would kiss me that night...I keep wishing you had…” 

He let out a breath of disbelief and then he leaned closer to her and kissed her longingly. She hadn’t expected such gentleness from him and when he pulled away she was flush and breathless. 

“Is that what you wanted?” He rasped. 

She nodded, biting her lip, tears in her eyes. She hadn’t felt anything as good as that in all her life. She hadn’t wanted it to end. She wouldn’t allow herself to be entirely wanton and ask for more though. He seemed to understand and he lay back down on the ground again. 

“Tell me about Clegane Keep where you grew up?” She asked him and to her surprise he did. They talked for the better part of the morning about their childhoods and other trivial matters. When it came time for the noon meal he escorted her back to her chambers. 

“Will I see you tomorrow?” She asked him, her hand on the doorknob as before. 

“Aye, you will.” He said and before he left he took a step closer to her and kissed her again, pressing her body between himself and the door. She wrapped her arms around him and returned the kiss, relishing the closeness. Then he pulled away and was gone, she found that her hand was reaching after him and she let it drop to her side. 

************************

It didn’t take a terribly long time before the two of them were ready to move past kissing. When Sandor pushed inside her for the first time and she cried out in pain his body went stock still. 

“You were a maid?” He asked in shock. They were locked inside his chambers. 

She nodded, worriedly. “Are you angry?” 

“I can’t believe he never… no, I’m not angry.” He resumed moving inside her and they never spoke of it again. 

****************

Sansa and Tyrion were just sitting down for their evening meal and she was more nervous to speak to him than she ever had been before. He noticed her discomfort and finally spoke up. 

“Is something amiss, lady Sansa?” He asked. 

“I was only thinking about something, my lord.” 

“I believe you were worried about something, not just thinking.” 

“Yes, you are correct.” She said. 

“Well what is it? Is there anything I can do to help?” 

“You could, or you could be very angry and not help at all. I don’t know which one you’ll chose.” Sansa said worriedly. 

“Generally I don’t get very angry.” 

“I suppose you’ll find out soon enough anyway...I am with child.” 

Tyrion dropped his wineglass on the floor and Sansa burst into tears at the sound. 

“What? Did someone force you?” He said, finding his voice again. 

“I’ll not say anything about the father.” She said firmly. 

“Then no. You did this willingly. But why?” 

“Because I love him...there wasn’t supposed to be a baby but the moon tea didn’t work.” She said. 

“I see. We could solve two problems in all this by claiming the baby was mine.” He suggested. 

“You mean you’re not…?” 

“No Sansa, I have a mistress of my own. Neither of us wanted this marriage. Who am I to stop you from having a lover? If we can give my father his Lannister heir then we can forget that this ever happened. Agreed?” 

She nodded, filled with relief. 

**********************************

The prison cell was especially uncomfortable for Sansa when she was so heavy with child. Tyrion was pretty uncomfortable himself. Cersei had been so sure that they were responsible for Joffrey’s death that they had no real hope of ever getting out. 

Jaime Lannister was their first visitor as soon as it was allowed. He let himself into the cell and took in the sight of his brother in one corner of the cell and his pregnant wife in the other corner. They talked about what might happen, about how much Cersei wanted them dead, about the possibility of the witnesses in the trial being coerced to testimony. Sansa said nothing through all this. She tried to shift into a more comfortable position and made a pained noise. 

“Are you alright, Sansa?” Tyrion asked. 

“I’m fine.” Sansa said but they could both hear the pain in her voice. 

“I can’t believe Cersei would do this to a pregnant woman, and to her brother’s unborn child.” Jaime said. 

“It’s not his child.” Sansa spoke up. “I’m sure she knows that with all her spies.” 

Jaime looked to Tyrion to see if he knew about this. “Yes, I knew.” Tyrion said. 

“Then who’s?” Jaime began to ask. 

“She won’t say and it’s probably better that she doesn’t.” Tyrion said. “As far as our father knows the child is mine and it needs to stay that way for now.” 

“Understood.” Jaime said. “I’ve grown accustomed to lying to father anyway.” 

“I don’t know which is worse, lying to father or lying for father, which is what all of our witnesses will be doing. Perhaps it would be simpler to just call for a trial by battle.” Tyrion said. 

“Tyrion,” Jaime began warily. “If there is to be a trial by battle, Cersei will name the Mountain her champion. I can’t fight for you, not with my left hand.” 

“But I can.” Sandor’s voice said from just outside the cell. They hadn’t even heard him approach. “Let me in there.” 

Jaime went to the door and unlocked it, unsure what the Hound was even doing there. 

“Call for a trial by battle.” Sandor said to Tyrion. “I’ll not be fighting for you, but I’ll fight for her.” He looked to Sansa who had pulled herself to her feet. 

She burst into tears. “You can’t, your brother will kill you.” 

“Then at least I’ll have died for a worthy cause.” He said. 

Jaime and Tyrion looked at each other, slightly confused about this exchange they were hearing. 

Sansa approached him and put her hand in his chest. “Maybe the trial will turn out just fine on it’s own. I won’t let you throw away your life for me. I won’t.” She said firmly. 

“My life is already yours anyway, little bird.” He said and ignoring that Tyrion and Jaime were even there he kissed her. 

“I think the mystery has been solved.” Tyrion said, watching them. 

“Indeed it has.” Jaime agreed, 

The couple broke off their kiss and Sandor rested his head against hers. “Call for your trial by battle Tyrion. Neither of you are going to die if I have anything to say about it.” At that he stepped back to pull away from her and she caught his arm before he could leave. “I have to go little bird.” 

She nodded, trembling, and let him go. She went back to her corner and slid down to the floor with her back against the wall. 

“I never thought I’d see that. Did you think anyone could ever tame the Hound?” Tyrion said to Jaime. “There wasn’t even one foul word out of his mouth the entire time he was here.” 

“He was rather well behaved.” Jaime admitted. “Aside from kissing your wife.” 

“Yes well, I all but gave him permission to do that anyway.” Tyrion said. 

“He doesn’t need anyone’s permission but mine.” Sansa said, slightly angry. She had never been angry at him and it somewhat surprised him. “I don’t belong to anyone but myself.” 

“True enough.” Tyrion conceded. 

“But if I did have to belong to someone…” She left the thought unfinished but they both knew what she had intended to say, that she would chose to belong to Sandor Clegane if she could.

“Why him Sansa?” Tyrion asked, genuinely curious. “You’re pretty enough that you could have had your pick of men here in Kings Landing. Why Clegane?” Even though he had said the mystery was solved of who the child’s father was, how those two could care for each other was still somewhat of a mystery. 

She never used to speak openly with Tyrion, and before this she would have never considered doing so while his brother was present, but the fact that they might not have much longer to live made her care a lot less concerned about keeping her thoughts to herself. “My family left me here.” She said sadly, bitterly. “Robb might have tried to send someone to get me or he might have traded prisoners for me.” She glanced over at Jaime. “But he didn’t. He left me here and let Joffrey have his guards beat me every time he didn’t like something I said or everytime Robb won a battle. Out of all of the guards only one refused to hurt me. Sandor wouldn’t hit me even when the king ordered him to do it. And later when the city rioted for bread Joffrey told his guards to leave me to the crowds, Sandor ignored him and went back for me anyway. There were three men trying to rape me. He gutted them and hacked off their arms and carried me back to the Red Keep...He always keeps me safe. On our wedding night you were too drunk to know it Tyrion, Sandor was in an alcove in the hall outside your chambers. He made sure I saw him. I knew that if I screamed for help…” 

“He would have broken in and chopped my cock off.” Tyrion said, disturbed. 

“But I didn’t scream. There was no need to.” Sansa pointed out. “It still meant something to me that I could have, that if I need him he’s always there for me.” 

“And you don’t think he just did this for a chance to take advantage of you?” Tyrion said skeptically. 

“No I don’t. I was alone with him many times and he never...he never even tried to kiss me until I told him to.” She said. “He’s not a monster, not if you learn to look past his scars.” 

**********************

The night before the trial by battle was to take place Jaime came to visit his brother again. They were talking, engaged in light conversation and trying their hardest to avoid speaking about what tomorrow might hold when Sandor arrived. 

“Let me in there Lannister.” Sandor said from outside the cell. 

Sansa pulled herself to her feet as he came in and she all but threw herself into his arms when he came through the door. She had been mostly quiet in the previous days. She hadn’t complained or cried but had been stoic, like a Stark. Now she was weeping and sobbing in Sandor’s arms and both Jaime and Tyrion didn’t know what to make of it. 

“I was afraid you wouldn’t come...I was afraid I wouldn’t see you again until...I don’t want to watch you die...I don’t want to watch anyone else die…” She was saying. 

“You won’t watch me die tomorrow, little bird, I swear it.” He said firmly. 

She gasped and stepped back to stare at him. “You hate vows and oaths…” 

“I swear it.” He said a second time. Then he picked her up as if she was as light as a child and carried her to the corner where she usually sat. He leaned his back against wall and slid down into a sitting position with Sansa on his lap. “I’m not leaving this cell tonight.” Sandor said pointedly. “I’m staying with her. Anyone who tries to make me leave is going to be short a head.” 

Though the Lannister brothers were a little shocked, they soon went back to their conversation and ignored the couple in the corner as best they could. Though they tried not to watch, Sandor’s gentleness with Sansa did not escape their notice. They were only cuddling in the corner but the way he held her like she was fragile just seemed so contrary to all they had seen of him before. And the way she clung to him and looked at him with adoring eyes like he was some handsome knight was a little surprising as well. 

Jaime left late that night and took one last look to see Sansa and Sandor cuddled up in the corner asleep. 

***************************

The battle between the Cleganes was a very long one. Sansa was on the edge of her seat worried, not for herself but for Sandor. For some reason she had been seated between Jaime and Tyrion and she found she didn’t mind this too much. They had both been kind to her in recent weeks and she had begun to think of them as friends. When Sandor took a sword to the leg Sansa felt both her hands were taken by them and squeezed firmly. Sandor stumbled from the wound but then swung at his brother with renewed rage. In the end Sandor took his brother down but not without taking several serious wounds himself. As soon as the battle was declared won Sansa rushed out onto the field to Sandor. He was down on one knee, blood pouring from his leg and his shoulder. She hugged him, not caring about the blood and he held her tightly. Jaime and Tyrion were right behind her. They all saw the water that began pooling on the ground around her feet. The baby was coming. Sandor stuck his sword into the ground and tried to pull himself to a stand by the pommel. None of them knew how he managed to stand up let alone lift up Sansa and carry her out of the arena but he did. He stopped at the seats on the edge of the area and placed her gently in one of them. Then he dropped to both knees, seemingly out of strength, but he grabbed Jaime’s arm on his way down. 

“Take care of her!” Sandor said gruffly before passing out there in front of them. 

“I’ll stay with him until the Maester arrives.” Tyrion said. “Take her back to her room.” He told Jaime. 

“No, I’m not leaving him.” Sansa protested. Jaime picked her up anyway and carried her back to her room. 

The baby was born in the middle of the night that night. Sandor was treated by the maester and remained unconscious in the room next to Sansa’s. 

“What will you name him?” Tyrion asked Sansa as she held her new baby boy. 

“I don’t know. I suppose you will have some say in that.” She said. 

“No. He needn’t have a Lannister name. Not after what my father has done.” 

She glanced over at him, and he saw hope in her eyes for the first time. “They’d never let me name him Ned...I’ll call him Torrhen.” 

“After Torrhen Stark, the last king in the North who knelt to the Targaryens?” Tyrion asked her. 

“Yes.” She said simply, still gazing at her baby. “He saved Winterfell and thousands of lives that day. If only other Starks could have known when to fight and when to kneel…” 

Tyrion nodded, understanding her sentiments.


	2. Chapter 2

Sandor awoke two days later but was given milk of the poppy and told not to leave his bed. He didn’t even try to argue with the maester or with Sansa about it. He was in too much pain. Sansa sat at his bedside with her baby anyway and was there when Jaime came bursting into the room looking panicked. 

“I have bad news…” He began. 

“What is it?” She asked, standing worriedly. 

“Something happened in my father’s rooms. My father was found dead in his bed along with your handmaid Shae, and Tyrion is missing.” He said. 

“Do you think...but why would...?” Sansa began, unsure what to even think. 

“You knew Tyrion had a mistress, right? It was Shae.” Jaime told her. 

Sansa clamped a hand over her mouth. How horrible it must have been for Tyrion to stumble on such a scene. She couldn’t imagine how he must have felt though she could imagine why he would want to to kill them. She had liked Shae, it saddened her that the woman was gone. 

“Where would he have gone?” She asked when she composed herself. 

“Essos maybe…” Jaime said. 

“Gods…” Sansa breathed and sat back down. 

Jaime took another chair in the room and sat down not far from her. “The Maester says that Clegane will be several weeks before he’s well enough to be on his feet again. You shouldn’t stay here alone.” 

She knew he was right and knew that he intended to stay with them if she allowed it. 

“He’s right.” Sandor spoke up groggily from the bed. “You shouldn’t be alone. I’m in no shape to help you.” 

“I’ll send for a new handmaid...and I’ll stay if you’ll allow it.” Jaime said to both of them. 

“Aye.” Sandor said, nearly lapsing off to sleep again. 

“I’ll bring my things this afternoon.” Jaime said. 

*****************************

Most nights Sansa crawled into bed next to Sandor and slept there until Torrhen needed her. Jaime slept in Tyrion’s room. Then one night three weeks after the trial she got into bed next to Sandor. He was already asleep and his skin was very cold to touch. Alarmed, she put her hand close to his nose in the darkness to check his breathing and felt nothing, no air. 

“Sandor?” She said, trying to rouse him by shaking him. “Sandor!” But she knew it was no use. She knew he was dead and she screamed. 

She wasn’t really aware of Jaime rushing into the room and checking on Sandor. Or of his arms around her when he pulled her from the room. She didn’t see the septas come and take his body away nor was she aware of the times when she picked up Torrhen and fed him. When she finally came to herself she was curled up on Tyrion’s bed and Jaime sat in a chair nearby, watching her. 

“He was getting better.” She said to him. “He was healing. How did it even happen?” 

Jaime sighed. “Poison.” 

“What? Why?” She managed to say. 

“I can’t tell you that.” He said evasively. 

“So it was Cersei?” She said. Her grief had made her more bold than she might have been before. She knew of Jaime and Cersei’s relationship and she knew from the days spent in the cell with Jaime visiting Tyrion that Jaime had mixed feelings about his sister. He hated what she was doing and what she had become and somehow he still cared for her. 

Jaime nodded. “I think so. She still believes you killed Joffrey. She didn’t want to allow you any happiness.” 

“Where is Torrhen?” Sansa asked, suddenly worried. If it was revenge Cersei wanted then her son was not safe. 

“He is fine. But we have to leave the city if we hope to keep him that way.” 

“We?” 

“Yes. I’ve been asked to go to the Riverlands to deal with the siege at Riverrun. I’ll bring you with me and when it’s done I’ll leave you in the care of your Uncle Brynden.” Jaime told her. 

“I don’t even know Uncle Brynden.” 

“I’m sorry. It’s the best I can do. It’s not safe for you here.” He said apoligetically. 

***********************

The journey was awkward. Sansa was the only woman there among the many soldiers that Jaime had brought with him. She could have brought her new handmaid Nora but she knew that Nora had a mother and sister in Kings Landing and Sansa refused to force the woman to leave her family. She was given her own tent at night and she dared not let anyone see how afraid she truly was. A tent couldn’t keep anyone out. And she didn’t trust anyone, not even the men men that Jaime had assigned to guard her. She didn’t expect Jaime would hurt her but he wasn’t going to be able to help her either if one of these men chose to challenge him. She felt afraid and alone and Torrhen was was constantly fussing and needing attention to the point that she was becoming exhausted. 

One evening a fortnight into their journey she had just put Torrhen down to sleep in his cradle when she heard the rustling of tent fabric and looked up expecting to see Ser Jaime. He usually checked on her this time of night. It wasn’t Jaime. It was one of her guards, the one named Walder if she remembered right. She hadn’t liked him because of his name even though the man was not a Frey. 

“May I help you Ser?” Sansa said warily. She disliked the way the man was looking at her. 

“I don’t know. Seems like you helped the Hound plenty. Maybe you’d be helpful to me too.” He said, taking a step closer to her. 

“You need to leave.” She said much more boldly than she felt. 

Walder moved closer to her and she took a step back, stumbling a little as she did. Then over Walder’s shoulder she saw Jaime enter the tent and she saw him draw his sword. Walder stopped moving when he felt the prick of the blade in his back. 

“You heard her,” Jaime said. “Get out!” 

She breathed a sigh of relief as Jaime sheathed his sword and Walder fled the tent. 

“Are you alright?” He asked her. 

She nodded still shaken. “Thank you.” She looked pale, her eyes were sunken with blue underneath them from exhaustion. 

“When was the last time you were out of this tent for anything besides riding?” He asked her concerned. 

“I can’t leave Torrhen.” She said wearily. 

“Then I’ll carry him.” 

She was about to protest but Torrhen didn’t even wake when Jaime lifted him and she did want to see someplace other than the tent walls or the back of a horse for a change. He took her outside of the camp to a stream and without even thinking it through Sansa slipped off her shoes and put her feet in the cool water. Jaime sat on the ground next to her and neither of them spoke for a long while. 

“You know Sandor wasn’t the only person who asked me to take care of you?” Jaime said breaking the silence. “Your mother asked me to bring you safely home to Winterfell.” 

“She did?” Sansa hadn’t known about this. 

“She made me swear that in setting me free, I would return her daughters to her. I had meant to do it but I was too late.” 

“So she didn’t abandon me?” Sansa said, clamping a hand over her mouth. 

“No, she didn’t. She would have done anything for her children. Just as you would for yours.” He told her. 

Sansa couldn’t stop the flood of tears that came to her. She took her feet from the water and curled up, hugging her knees. Jaime reached over and put one arm around her shoulders, the other arm still holding Torrhen. She allowed it, she even leaned into him a little and rested her head against his chest as she wept. 

****************************

They had almost reached Riverrun when she fell sick. There had been a lot of rain one day and Sansa wasn’t the only one to catch a chill. Most of the men recovered well enough. Not Sansa. Jaime made them set up camp and try to give her a little time to recover. She remained in her bed with a high fever, coughing and barely able to breathe for three days. Sometimes when her son needed to eat, Sansa wouldn’t wake up. There was no wet nurse so Jaime did the only thing he could. He made sure his men were sent away, turned Sansa onto her side in the bed, opened the front of her shift and lay the baby close enough to feed. As it was he had to stay in her tent and see to her care himself, and Torrhen’s. He didn’t trust the other men not to take advantage of her semi conscious state, even if all they might do was gawk at her he didn’t want them looking. He sent a few of the men ahead to look for a woman they could hire to care for her or a wet nurse but none had returned yet. He had to spoon feed bowls of broth to Sansa three times a day Then on the fourth day her fever had spiked so high that he worried for her life. He could only think of one thing to do. He asked Garwin, one of his most trustworthy officers to watch Torrhen and he carried Sansa to the river along with a single blanket. He left the blanket on the shore and he carried her out deep enough that the cool waters covered most of her body. They stayed there for a long while before she began to wake up. 

“Ser Jaime?” She said weakly. 

He breathed a sigh of relief. 

“What am I doing out here?” She asked. 

“Your fever was too high. I was trying to cool you.” 

“I’m cold…” 

“Then we’ll go back.” He brought her out of the water and wrapped her in the blanket so that it covered the clinging wet shift she wore. Once they were back in the tent, he placed her on the bed and passed her a sry shift from among her things. “You’ll be okay to change by yourself?” He doubted that she even had the strength to move. 

She bent forward from where she sat on the bed and reached for the hem of her shift. Then exhausted her arm went limp and dropped to her side. “I can’t do it.” She said. “I need your help...you’ve probably already seen everything there is to see anyway.” She said, knowing that he had helped her feed Torrhen at least a few times by now. 

“I haven’t...and I won’t look this time either.” He helped her stand to her feet and with eyes closed he helped her to pull the shift off over her head. He passed her the dry shift but when she took it from him she lay it over his shoulder instead of putting it on. “What are you doing Sansa?” He asked and he felt her take his hand and place it on her bare breast. He pulled his hand away and she caught it and put it back again. He opened his eyes and found her staring up at him intently, still feverish. “You’re ill and you’re not thinking clearly Sansa.” He grabbed the shift from off of his shoulder and pulled it on over her head and helped her into bed without another word. His heart was racing from what she had done but he could not take advantage of her like that. 

He had been right. She wasn’t thinking clearly. She had felt weak and helpless and hopeless and really wanted the comfort of someone to share her bed. It had been a futile hope. He wasn’t Sandor. No one could replace Sandor anyway. She would always be lonely. 

*****************************

Sansa did finally recover and the did reach Riverrun. Brynden Tully demanded to see Sansa before he would consider surrendering the castle. Jaime brought her to him along with Torrhen. 

Brynden was pacing the solar near the windows when they entered the room. He seemed surprised at seeing Sansa.   
“They didn’t tell me you’d had a Lannister baby.” Brynden said, barely hiding his disgust. 

“He’s not a Lannister baby.” Sansa protested. “He’s a Snow.” 

Brynden looked somewhat scandalized. “And you call yourself a Stark? Where is your honor?” 

“Clearly I have none.” She said but it was tone of anger not humility. 

“Clearly.” Brynden agreed readily. “They want me to give up this castle in exchange for bringing you to me. Have the Lannisters harmed you?” 

Sansa paled. She understood the implications of his question. He was considering refusing their offer if she told him she was safe. He already disliked her because of her bastard baby. Just the fact that he believed the castle was more important than she was hurt more than she could say. 

“No.” Sansa said with finality. “They have not.” 

“Let me think it over then, Lannister?” Brynden said. 

“Of course,” Jaime said. “I’ll give you until the morning.” 

As soon as they were out of the castle Jaime had questions for her. “What was that in there, Sansa? Why didn’t you tell him what Joffrey did to you? And Cersei?” 

“He hates me already. I couldn’t see the point.” Sansa said. 

“I doubt he hates you. He was just surprised. You need to go back in there and tell him the truth. If you don’t then you might not get another chance to return to your family.” Jaime said. 

Sansa turned to him in anger. “What sort of a reward has the king promised you for ending the siege?” 

“There isn’t any reward Sansa. I’m just doing what I was ordered to do. I thought you would want to return to your mother’s family.” 

“What do you think he’s going to do with me if I did stay here? Probably marry me off to some minor house and be rid of me as soon as he can.” 

Jaime knew she had a point. “So what do you want to do?” 

She reached over and put a hand on his arm. “Please don’t send me away.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it ends here. I know I could have gone on or added a lot more detail but I really like it this way. I hope no one is disappointed. Thanks for reading!

Jaime doubted that Brynden’s reaction to Sansa had been genuine. He probably was only trying to maintain the upper hand in the negotiations. Brynden wanted Jaime to believe that getting Sansa back wasn’t very important to him but that didn’t mean it was the truth. He tried to make Sansa see that and she was disinclined to believe him. 

“If you won’t go back and speak with your uncle..if you don’t want to be sent away... then what do you expect me to do with you?” He finally asked. He had no idea how he could help her any further. He was kingsguard. After the siege was dealt with he would probably go back to his duties guarding the king. He couldn’t bring her back to Kings Landing. Cersei would kill her and Torrhen if he did. 

“I don’t know…” She said sadly. “I only know that you have been kind to me and I don’t think he will be.” 

“Perhaps I could talk to him again.” Jaime suggested. 

“If you think it will help.” She said defeated, shoulders slumped. 

Jaime escorted Sansa back to her tent and then went back into the castle to speak with Brynden a second time. The man was still in his solar. 

“You said I’d have until the morning.” Brynden said in protest. 

“And you shall. I came to speak to you about your niece.” Jaime said. 

“What about her?” The Blackfish said warily. 

“You didn’t seem very happy to see her.” Jaime said. “I’m not so sure that leaving her here with an Uncle who doesn’t want her is really in her best interest.” He said, hoping that this would do the trick. 

“If you want the castle, you’ll give her up in the end.” Brynden said. “I don’t believe you give a fuck about her best interests.” 

“I’m not sure you do either.” Jaime said. 

“What are you saying Kingslayer? Are you threatening to take her for yourself if I don’t give up the castle?” 

“I can’t say that the thought hasn’t crossed my mind.” Jaime said, continuing the charade. 

“I see.” Brynden said, running his fingers through his hair. “Tell me, who’s the father of that babe of hers?” 

Jaime considered not telling him but decided it would probably do more good if he told the truth of it. “Sandor Clegane.” 

“The Hound?” Brynden seemed disturbed by this news. “Then she was forced.” He said shaking his head sadly. 

“Sansa is very upset. She believes you were unhappy to see her. I hope you can make amends for that in the morning.” Jaime said and with that he walked out the door and left the Blackfish. He could only hope that the words he’d spoken would have the desired effect. 

****************************

When Jaime returned to the Blackfish in the morning he found the man to be stern faced and unwilling to yield the castle. 

“Why not, do you care nothing for Sansa?” Jaime asked. 

“I am told that she had the Hound willingly. I am told that Clegane was her champion at the trial for king Joffrey because he was her lover.” He said and spat on the ground. “Is that the truth of it?” 

“Why does it matter? She is still your blood.” Jaime said. 

“No blood of mine would sully herself with the Lannister’s dog.” Brynden said. 

“Fine. If you don’t want Sansa returned to you then I will keep her for myself. I assume you do want Edmure’s child returned to you when it is born?” Jaime said. 

This had Brynden’s attention. 

“I will return him to you with a catapult if you do not yield the castle.” Jaime said. 

*****************************

Once the siege was ended, Jaime realized he still had no idea what he was going to do with Sansa. He suggested the only ideas he was able to come up with. 

“I could bring you to your Aunt Lysa.” Jaime said. The men were busy packing up the camp and she was putting away some of Torrhen’s things into a small chest. 

“They say that she is...not quite sane. When Tyrion saw her she was almost frightening.” Sansa told him, clearly opposed to the idea. 

“The only other thing I can do is to bring you to Casterly Rock. Officially you are still Tyrion’s wife and it’s not too unbelievable that you would wait there for him to be found.” Jaime said. 

“Where will you be?” Sansa asked him a bit anxiously. 

“Wherever the king commands me to go.” He told her.

“Right. Of course.” She said sadly and Jaime saw her brush away a few tears and try to pretend that she was fine. 

“Sansa, you would be safe there.” He tried to reassure her. 

“You don’t think that your sister has any servants there who would do her bidding if I were to go there?” She asked pointedly. 

“Perhaps she does.” Jaime admitted. “What about Jon Snow on the Wall? I could take you to him?” 

For a moment there was hope in her eyes, then it faded. “I would like very much to see him, but the Wall is no place for a woman or a baby. What would he do with me there?” 

“One of your father’s bannermen then?” 

At that Sansa could no longer hide her tears, they started falling freely and she wrapped her arms around her middle and tried to hold back her sobs. 

“Sansa?” Jaime was at a loss. 

“I wish everyone would stop trying to be rid of me!” 

“I’m not trying to be rid of you. I’m trying to find someplace safe for you to go.” Jaime replied. 

“It’s the same thing.” She argued. 

“No Sansa, it isn’t.” He said taking her arm so she would turn and look at him. 

“I asked you not to send me away…” She whispered. 

It was then that her meaning finally sunk in. She hadn’t been asking to not be left at Riverrun, she had been asking to stay with him. “Sansa I…I don’t think you’d want to stay with me if you knew the truth.” He said sadly. He couldn’t see any sense in giving her false hope. 

“I already know some truths and I don’t care about that. Not anymore.” 

“Do you know what I did to protect those truths?” 

“I don’t care!” She was nearly yelling at him through her tears. She took a breath and calmed herself a little. “It could be that you have done terrible things...Sandor told me once that all knights are killers. That my father was a killer and my brother was a killer and my sons would be killers as well and that I should get used to looking at them...whatever it was that you did, it doesn’t matter because you’re still the only person who has cared for me at all since Sandor died...I can’t go back to being all alone again… I can’t…” 

He still didn’t know what he would do with her later but in that moment he decided he would hug her. She relaxed in his arms and then clung to him when he finally tried to leave. 

“Would it help if I stayed in here tonight?” Jaime asked her and the look of relief and thankfulness she gave was answer enough. 

**************************

Sansa and Jaime slept in the same bed that night. Nothing untoward happened between them. For much of the night she was curled up next to him clinging to his arm but that was all. Jaime woke and found her clinging to his right arm. She was still asleep but she somehow looked frightened. He supposed she had plenty of reason to be, She probably had bad memories and nightmares enough as it was without being the only woman in a camp full of soldiers. She woke soon after and her eyes met his but she said nothing. 

“I could retire from the kingsguard.” He said, not bothering with a good morning or any pleasantries. “Apparently that sort of thing is allowed now since Joffrey dismissed Barriston Selmy. My father wanted me to retire and be Lord of Casterly Rock and I refused him.” 

“So why are you considering it now?” Sansa asked. 

He turned onto his side towards her. “For you.” He said, reaching over and touching her cheek. “I thought you would be okay if I left you with your uncle or one of your father’s bannermen. I see now that I would only be abandoning you if I left you with any of them. Two people who cared about you have asked me to keep you safe. One of them set me free from prison and the other saved my brother’s life. I may not have much honor but I have enough that I can’t ignore something like that. Besides, you have suffered enough. It’s time that someone cared for you for a change.” 

“Thank you…” She breathed. He only nodded and began getting out of bed. “Ser Jaime?” She called after him. “Will you come back tonight?” 

“I will.” He told her. 

**********************************

She knew it was wrong to be so dependent on a Lannister like this. Some part of her did feel guilty. It was his sister and his son who had gotten her father killed. But it hadn’t been Jaime who did that. He wasn’t even in the city when it had happened and he had been Robb’s prisoner for much of the war. Could people ever truly be independent of what their House had done? Then she realized that by law she was already a Lannister anyway. Even her great Uncle Brynden didn’t think she was a Stark anymore. What would be so wrong with depending on the on the only family she had left, her good brother? Except she was still a wolf by blood, no matter what Brynden Tully thought of her, Ned Stark was still her father and Tywin Lannister was still his father. Nothing could change that. Not even all the kindness in the world. And even as she struggled with these thoughts she knew she wanted more from him than just his kindness. She still remembered the day she had been ill and the feeling of his hand on her body. She had been unable to get it out of her mind. 

As Sansa prepared for bed that night she found herself growing nervous. Jaime probably didn’t feel the same way about her at all. Had she just resigned herself to a life of longing for someone who would never want her back? Maybe it would have been better to have stayed with Brynden and be despised for being wanton than to love someone and never have them love her in return. Love? Was she even willing to call it love? She thought about all the things he had done for her over the past few months, all the small kindnesses and little moments of affection and she had to admit that though it was different than what she had felt for Sandor, it was love all the same. 

When Jaime arrived that evening Sansa was already in the bed curled up under the blankets and wearing her sleeping shift. Jaime looked disturbed, angry or worried about something. Then she saw the parchment in his hand. 

“Is something wrong?” She asked. 

He nodded. “A letter from Cersei. The high septon is putting her on trial for treason. She asked me to be her champion in a trial by battle.” 

Sansa’s heart sank, what little hope she’d had was fading fast. He probably still loved her. He would go and fight for her and most likely not survive and she would be alone again.

“Don’t look so sad.” Jaime said, moving to the candle that was burning on the table in the tent he held the letter into the flames. “I’m not doing it.”   
“Why?” She breathed. “I know you wouldn’t fight for Tyrion but he had a champion...she has no one and I thought...I thought you loved her.” 

“I did, but now I love someone else.” He said and when the letter was burned he got into bed with her and pulled her into his arms and kissed her. 

She hadn’t expected to be kissed. She hadn’t expected him to indicate that he loved her. She kissed him willingly in return as her hands worked at the laces on his breeches. It was messy. The night was warm and her breasts leaked milk in all the excitement but neither of them cared. They didn’t care about anything. 

“How did you know?” Sansa asked as she lay in his arms afterward. “How did you know that I would be willing to do that?” 

He grinned. “It’s not the first time I’ve seen a woman look me the way you did. Lots of them do, usually I ignore it.” 

She giggled. “Right, the golden knight has so many admirers…”

“Almost as many as the red haired Stark girl does.” He said a little more seriously. 

“Almost.” She agreed with a shy smile. 

"Someday, the Stark girl will go home." He told her. "I don't know when, but you will. I promise you that." 

And she knew that this was one oath he would keep.


End file.
